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Are you an avid traveler? Are you conscious of the footprint they are leaving along the way?

Most people think the effects of travel are solely based on climate but covid has shown us that the world is dependent on tourism and the pandemic has affected many businesses around the world. 

In this episode, Christine and Hilary Matson are talking about all things sustainable travel and how travelers can make a huge impact on the countries they are visiting by being more conscious of the footprint they are leaving along the way.

Hilary Matson is the founder of Yūgen Earthside, a sustainable travel booking platform. An avid traveler, and passionate about sustainability, she has visited nearly 40 countries & territories across five continents. Her top travel bucket list destinations are Greece (for the food) and Bolivia (for the salt flats). Hilary is an American living in Paris.

For full show notes and to get resources mentioned in the episode, head over to https://www.lotussojourns.com/episode55

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Credits. Christine Winebrenner Irick (Host, creator, editor.) Hilary Matson(Guest). Original music by Clark Adams. Editing and production by Rayna Booth

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Ellenore Angelides is a lawyer by training and defines her path as “following her curiosity.” She spend 13 years in a corporate career and eventually founded Open Hearts Big Dreams, which focuses on increasing literacy and educational opportunities. In this soulful conversation, she and Christine talk about the foundation that literacy provides, culturally representative literature, and how Open Hearts is making a profound impact by instilling a love of stories.

Learn more about Ellenore here.

Learn about Open Hearts Big Dreams here.

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LOVE these conversations...support the production of this podcast by making a donation here!

Credits. Christine Winebrenner Irick (Host, creator, editor.) Ellenore Angelides(Guest). Original music by Clark Adams. Editing and production by Alex Ammons and For The Love Media, LLC.

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What would it look like to live in a world where we knew who made our products and where they are sourced? Costa Rica-based local Galit Flasterstein and her company, Local Keeps, is out to make that happen. In this conversation, Galit and Christine talk about the rising levels of entrepreneurship amongst women in Latin America, how re-purposed waste can become beautiful works of art, and impactful supporting local artisans is for women and communities.

Galit Flasterstein is the CEO and Co-Founder of Local Keeps, an organization that positively impacts both buyers and suppliers. Local Keeps find authentic products from faraway places and help artisans and entrepreneurs deliver their creations to the world.

Visit Local Keep's website here.

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LOVE these conversations...support the production of this podcast by making a donation here! 

Credits. Christine Winebrenner Irick (Host, creator, editor.) Galit Flasterstein (Guest). Original music by Clark Adams. Editing and production by Alex Ammons and For The Love Media, LLC.

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This conversation begins with breath and the Amazon rainforest and continues to traverse subjects such as healthcare, being a traveling woman, and exploring the inner artist. This is what it is like to talk with traveler, filmmaker, artist, and author Céline Cousteau. Her interests and travels are bone-deep and far-reaching, and this conversation is a journey. We are thrilled to share it with you and hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Céline is an environmental activist, storyteller, and author who speaks through film, art, and jewelry design. Learn more about Céline Cousteau here.

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Credits. Christine Winebrenner Irick (Host, creator, editor.) Céline Cousteau (Guest). Original music by Clark Adams. Editing and production by Alex Ammons and For The Love Media, LLC.

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The empowerment of girls and young women will shape and change our future. This is what drives the movement of Jamila Mayanja’s SMART Girls Uganda, whose mission is to empower and mentor girls to develop their confidence and life skills. In this conversation, she and Christine discuss menstrual equity, how it’s connected to girls staying in school, and all of the ways SMART Girls Uganda is making a massive impact across the country. Jamila gets into the details of the incredible breadth and depth of programming SMART Girls Uganda offers and how each program helps to hold the greater whole.

Learn more about SMART Girls Uganda here.

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Credits. Christine Winebrenner Irick (Host, creator, editor.) Jamila Mayanja (Guest). Original music by Clark Adams. Editing and production by Alex Ammons and For The Love Media, LLC.

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The stigma around menstruation spans the globe, which has far-reaching impacts for people who menstruate everywhere. Celeste Mergens is tackling this issue head-on. Days for Girls prioritizes cost-effective, safe, sustainable and contextually relevant products help women and girls manage their periods and engage in livelihood activities. In this bonus conversation, Celeste and Christine discuss the necessity of communication, what menstrual equity truly looks like, and how menstrual justice benefits not just individuals but families and whole countries.

Learn more about Days for Girls here.

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LOVE these conversations...support the production of this podcast by making a donation here! 

Credits. Christine Winebrenner Irick (Host, creator, editor.) Celeste Mergens (Guest). Original music by Clark Adams. Editing and production by Alex Ammons and For The Love Media, LLC.

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"How can we use our entrepreneurial skills and passion for travel to create a pathway that would make it easy for travelers to give back to meaningful causes - without necessarily volunteering?" This is the question that spurred Jessica Blotter into founding Kind Traveler. Kind Traveler is the type of brilliant business that the Soul of Travel can truly get behind - in this conversation, Jessica talks about how the company enhances sustainability, individual wellness, and gives directly to the community travelers are tourists in.

Learn more about Jessica Blotter here.

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LOVE these conversations...support the production of this podcast by making a donation here! 

Credits. Christine Winebrenner Irick (Host, creator, editor.) Jessica Blotter (Guest). Original music by Clark Adams. Editing and production by Alex Ammons and For The Love Media, LLC.

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Welcome to Season 3 of the Soul of Travel Podcast. Christine shares a bit about the genesis of the podcast and gives listeners a glimpse at what's ahead for this season.

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Find Lotus Sojourns on Facebook, or join the Lotus Sojourns Collective, our FB community for like-hearted women.

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Credits. Christine Winebrenner Irick (Host, creator, editor.) Original music by Clark Adams. Editing and production by Christine Winebrenner Irick and Alex Ammons.

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In this BONUS episode, we are resharing one of the most listened to Soul of Travel conversations in season 2.

This interview with JoAnna Haugen will propel you across time and space. She is, amongst many things, an exceptional storyteller. She wears many hats in the worlds of sustainable tourism and social impact, and through her colorful stories, the importance of her work comes alive.

She and Christine talk about how to make tourism more valuable to local communities and the importance of lifting each other up.

Joanna is the Founder of Rooted Storytelling, an organization that documents and shares community-focused sustainable travel initiatives and helps others do the same. She is a returned peace corps volunteer and intrepid traveler currently located in the country of Tunisia.

Learn more about Lotus Sojourns and ways to be a part of the community here.

Find Lotus Sojourns on Facebook, or join the Lotus Sojourns Collective, our FB community for like-hearted women.

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Credits. Christine Winebrenner Irick (Host, creator, editor.) JoAnna Haugen (Guest). Original music by Clark Adams. Editing and production by Alex Lee-Ammons and For The Love Media, LLC.

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In this BONUS episode, we are resharing one of the most listened to Soul of Travel conversations in season 2.

This conversation revolves around the power, leadership, and storytelling prowess of women. Rosette DeKool and Hannah Bamwerinde are the founders of Adventures with Locals Uganda, which they birthed from a passion for locals and community development. Their story and business is full of heart, female leadership, and a desire to create more safety and community in the burgeoning Ugandan travel industry.

These incredible women sit down with Christine and talk about climate change and sustainable tourism (they plant a tree for every trip sold!), telling the true stories of the history and the land, and viewing tourism from a lens of interconnectedness.

This is an enlivening, empowering conversation that will have you buzzing with ideas about responsible tourism, giving back to the community, and how to engage in a global green movement. Do not miss this beautiful conversation with two inspiring women, and visit them in Uganda through Adventures with Locals!

Learn more about Lotus Sojourns and ways to be a part of the community here.

Find Lotus Sojourns on Facebook, or join the Lotus Sojourns Collective, our FB community for like-hearted women.

Follow us on Instagram: @lotussojourns or @souloftravelpodcast

Credits. Christine Winebrenner Irick (Host, creator, editor.) Laura Grier (Guest). Original music by Clark Adams. Editing and production by Alex Lee-Ammons and For The Love Media, LLC.

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